Belfast man arrested in UAE for Google review

Craig Ballentine & dog — Craig, in happier times.

A 33 year old Belfast autism support worker faces prison in Dubai over an online review he made from Northern Ireland months before holidaying in the UAE.

“This case will send shockwaves to tourists and expats who feel safe posting online from the safety of their own countries”, warns Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, who is helping Cookstown resident, Craig Ballentine.

Ballentine was arrested three weeks ago when he arrived in Abu Dhabi for a short vacation to visit friends. Surprised and bewildered, he was transported to Dubai to face charges of slander under the UAE’s strict cybercrime laws that prohibit any form of online criticism.

“We’ve seen people arrested for complaining to customer service or for leaving online reviews on hotels and rental car agencies”, confirms Ms Stirling.

Laleh Shahravesh was arrested for a private Facebook post she had made years before arriving in the tourist destination. “Petty arrests are damaging to Dubai. The UAE’s laws are so far from international standards that almost everyone who visits is already technically a criminal”.

In 2023, Craig accepted a role as a dog groomer and one of Dubai’s canine salons. He was employed for almost six months before requiring a couple of days off due to sickness. He was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, informed his boss and sent in his doctor’s certificate but much to his surprise and against Dubai employment law, she registered him as “absconded” with authorities and caused him a legal nightmare. He was now unemployed and trying to remove the travel ban from his passport so he could go home to Northern Ireland. It took him all of two months and thousands of pounds.

“We’ve seen people arrested for complaining to customer service or for leaving online reviews on hotels and rental car agencies”

After picking up the pieces, he left an online review of the grooming centre and his former boss, noting the problems she had caused him. It wasn’t an abusive post and he had no idea that several months later, he would become a criminal and face prosecution.

He is now stuck in the country, absent from his employment as a support worker with autistic people and facing two years in prison. “Craig has been advised by local lawyers there is almost zero chance of the case against him being dropped”, says Stirling. “When someone is offended, even if they are at fault, they can open a criminal prosecution out of spite. Craig deleted the post, apologised but still faces jail. It’s outrageous.

“The UAE’s recently enacted Cybercrime laws are a nightmare for foreigners. It is sufficient for a complainant to simply tell police that someone posted something offensive or rude. The police don’t even need to see the actual post. The complainants have all the power and often demand money from the accused to close out the case. It’s a means for vindictive people to extort. Once a criminal case is won, they can also open civil cases for massive damages. The system incentivises it. Flatmates, co-workers and even spouses have abused this law and we find that it’s often foreigners who are taking advantage. In this case, both parties are Western and most people wouldn’t dream of opening a similar case in their own countries but seem quite happy to open them in the UAE”.

Ballentine’s parents thought he was dead when they didn't hear from him. “Mum was so upset and stressed, she thought I was dead”, Ballentine told Stirling in a phone call.

Ballentine frequently engages in voluntary work and has dedicated his life to helping others. “Craig needs to get home and get to work. It’s atrocious that authorities are allowing such frivolous criminal reports to entangle visitors in the system. The sheer number of cybercrime reports they receive must be significant. There are no protections or safeguards and people’s lives are being ruined.

“We have reached out to Craig’s local representative, Michelle O’Neil to implore her to make diplomatic representations to the UAE’s Ambassador and FCDO. We hope she can assist in the same way Ireland helped Tori Towey come home”.